1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to construction tools and in particular to a bucket grasp tool for holding down a bucket by the handle and preventing rotation of the bucket, such as a bucket of drywall compound, while using a mechanical stirrer to stir the compound, with one foot pressed against the bucket grasp tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the gypsum drywall industry taping compounds are used, some of which must be mixed with potable water prior to application. In the plastering industry, pails of premixed plaster weighing in the order of 25 kg must be mixed with cement before being applied as a patching and finishing compound. In both industries, a portable mixer having mixing paddles which rotate at approximately 400-600 RPM is used to mix the cementations or viscous materials. When the mixer is inserted into the cementatious or viscous materials in the pail, the pail tends to rotate with the mixer. To prevent this, the installer must use his or her legs, feet or other means to rigidly hold the pail so as to prevent the pail from turning as the material is mixed. This is potentially dangerous, as mixing in this manner may cause injury or loss of balance to the worker because of the awkward position which he or she must assume to maintain control over the operation.
If the workman does not grip the pail between the workman""s lower legs prior to effecting the mixing of the contents, the pail will rotate in the same direction as the direction of mixing, and then will commence to oscillate about the lower surface of the pail in an entirely uncontrolled manner. This can result in the contents of the pail being discharged onto the workman""s clothes and onto the floor in a random and totally uncontrolled manner.
When the pail is gripped between the workman""s lower legs, rotation of the pail and oscillation thereof relative to the supporting substrate is reduced to an acceptable level or even eliminated. If, however, the workman relaxes his grip on the pail, then, the pail can rapidly spin, causing damage and injury to the workman""s lower legs by impacting of the bails of the pail onto the workman""s shinbones, a situation which results in great discomfort to the workman.
In operation, a worker will stand on the rim of the bucket and engage the power stirrer. Standing on the rim is most dangerous should the operator slip or the bucket break. Further, if the bucket is overfilled the centrifugal force created by the stirring action will result in spillage and wasted manpower for clean-up.
Mixing drywall compound has always been a hassle. A person has to hold the bucket between his feet, causing strain to the lower legs or stand on top of the bucket, which is dangerous and causes dirt to fall into the bucket from the bottom of a person""s shoes.
There have been other inventions that do the same job, but they all are more bulky and not at all as convenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,208, issued Oct. 31, 1989 to Edsel Kennard, Jr., provides a support for a mixer bucket including a raised platform having a recess shaped to accommodate a mixer bucket. Resistance means are provided in the recess which engage against the bucket to maintain the bucket stationary while the contents of the bucket are being mixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,804, issued Sep. 29, 1992 to Blanchet, et al., shows a rotationally resistive pail, pail support and coupling. The apparatus includes a pail, and a lid for closing the pail in a closing position, and for supporting the pail in a supporting and locking position. The pail has notches in the base of the pail. The lid has corresponding lugs for vertical interlocking and rotationally resistive engagement with the notches when the lid is in the supporting position. When the lid is in the supporting position, the lid supports the pail vertically and laterally, and the mating engagement of the lid and pail resists relative rotation between the lid and the pail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,188, issued Aug. 3, 1993 to George Troncone, claims a jib, for use in supporting a pail during a mixing operation to be carried out within the pail, including a support ring which is distorted into an elliptical condition, thus relying on the interfitment of two members of elliptical form to prevent rotation of the pail relative to the jig.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,159, issued Jul. 20, 1993 to Philip W. Gurka, describes a combination tool comprising a one-piece thin elongated rigid normally flat blank applied with bends, apertures and incisions thereon, providing a body portion on one end in combination with a right angle extension to a straight oblique handle portion on the other end, the front end of said body portion formed with a reverse bend providing a terminal extended hook furnished with integral means to remove plastic lids, be receptive to a container handle and also perform as a hammer-head, the rear-end of said body portion provided with a right angled bend projected in the opposite direction of said terminal extended hook side and precedes an extension furnished with a bend to said oblique handle portion, the concave side of said body portion""s rear-end right angled bend, when faced upward also forms a receptive hook for a container handle, said oblique handle portion furnished with a reverse bend to provide a terminal hook on the same side as said body portion""s terminal extended hook, said terminal hook formed to hold-fast from various supports for the other individual hooks to be stabilized thereby, said handle portion also provided with dual nail extractor apertures to remove nails, said handle portion further provided with an oblong appendage to remove metal lids, and still further, said handle portion provides for said hammer-head to be a complete hammer to close lids tightly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,001, issued Mar. 26, 2002 to Mark Roger Durand, a container holder, for mixing slurry material in a 2xc2xd or 5 gallon bucket. The container holder is formed from a one-piece raised top portion having a centrally disposed aperture allowing insertion of a stirring paddle. Depending from the top portion are two legs that extend downwardly and span the entire height of the bucket to be mixed with foot pads joined at the bottom of the legs extending outwardly therefrom which allow an individual to stand on during the mixing operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,685, issued Aug. 12, 1980 to John W. Taylor indicates a container opener which takes the form of an integral member which has a main straight body section. At one end of the main body section is attached the first extension which depends from the main body section at almost a right angle. The outermost end of the first extension is acutely arcuate so that it substantially bends over on itself with the outermost tip of the extension defining an angle of sixty degrees with respect to the plane of the main body section. A second extension is attached to the main body section and is to be generally curved and ending in a depending flange which is to be connectable with the locking tab type of pail lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,944, issued Jul. 2, 1933 to Nicholas P. Courtney, puts forth a form of can opener for friction top cans adapted to be moved to various points around the periphery of the can cover and to be used as a prying implement to remove the cover from the can.
There is still a need for a simple, convenient, and easily carried tool for restraining buckets while mixing fluids in the buckets.
An object of the present invention is to prevent a 5-gallon bucket from spinning while drywall compounds are being mixed together with a drill and paddle.
Another object of the present invention is to help workmen avoid strain to their lower legs caused by needing to hold a bucket between the feet, and the dangers associated with standing on top of the bucket which can also cause dirt to fall into the compound being mixed from the bottom of shoes.
One more object of the present invention is to function simply by hooking the handle of a bucket and letting the other end rest on the ground to receive body weight.
A further object of the present invention is to use the weight of a person""s body to hold a bucket firmly in place.
An additional object of the present invention is to make a simple tool out of rigid material such as plastic or metal and a semi-rigid material such as rubber.
A contributory object of the present invention is to be formed from the same piece of material to maintain an integral nature.
An added object of the present invention is to be less bulky and more convenient to use than prior art inventions.
A separate object of the present invention is to have a strip of material small enough to fit between the bucket and bucket lid to be used to open the bucket lids by prying up and against the bucket.
Yet another object of the present invention is to include a straight edge sharpened to cut bucket lid tabs from underneath the top by prying against the bucket.
An auxiliary object of the present invention is to include reinforcement bars on the grasp part for tools made of weaker materials such as plastic.
Another corollary object of the present invention is to be formed with a high friction patterned surface molded into the foot pressure portion for extra traction.
An ensuing object of the present invention is that it can be manufactured inexpensively.
In brief, a bucket grasp tool keeps a bucket from spinning while mixing viscous fluid, such as drywall compound, in the bucket with a mechanical mixer. The bucket grasp for spin resistant mixing is an assembly made up of two parts: namely, a grasp part, and a foot pressure part, which may have a surface grip part. The grasp part is preferably semi-circular shaped and is preferably made of rigid material such as plastic or metal or semi-rigid material such as rubber. The foot pressure part is curve-shaped and preferably made of rigid material such as plastic or semi-rigid material such as rubber. The surface grip part may be flat and follow the curvature of both the grasp part and the foot pressure part. It is preferably made of flexible material such as rubber. The grasp part and the foot pressure part are integral, preferably both parts being formed from the same piece of material. The surface grip part lines the grasp part and covers the foot pressure part, being interconnected preferably with glue.
The present invention also opens bucket lids. It has a cutter blade cut into the tool at an angle adjacent to an end of the tool that contacts the ground. The cutter blade cuts the bucket lid tabs. Then the small end of this tool can be hooked under each tab and pried up.
An advantage of the present invention is to prevent a 5-gallon bucket from spinning while drywall compounds are being mixed together.
Another advantage of the present invention is to help workmen avoid strain to their lower legs and the dangers associated with standing on top of the bucket.
An additional advantage of the present invention is to function simply by hooking the handle of a bucket.
One more advantage of the present invention is to use the weight of a person""s body to hold a bucket firmly in place.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to be made out of readily available materials such as plastic or metal and rubber.
Still another advantage of the present invention is to be formed from a single piece of material.
Again, another advantage of the present invention is to be less bulky and more convenient to use.
The next advantage of the present invention is to include a straight edge sharpened to cut bucket lid tabs and a strip of material small enough to be used to pry open bucket lids.
An extra advantage of the present invention is to include reinforcement bars on the grasp part of the tool.
An associated advantage of the present invention is to be formed with a high friction patterned surface molded into the foot pressure portion for extra traction.
A final advantage of the present invention is that it can be manufactured inexpensively.